Scottsdale's pool and backyard builder, one point of contact.
Larkspur designs and builds pools, pergolas, and outdoor kitchens for Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and north Phoenix homeowners, with Marcus on every job.
- 8+ years in business
- 4.9 rating across 5+ Google reviews
- Arizona ROC license no., number added before launch
A backyard everyone can picture, but nobody has actually started.
Most calls start the same way: a yard that has sat half finished, or never finished, for years, while permits, budget, or the size of the project kept pushing it down the list. The hesitation is rarely the design itself. It is whether the same person will actually be there through the whole thing, or whether it turns into the kind of job where nobody in particular is responsible for the outcome.
No charge
A design walk-through, on your own property, before anything is signed.
Marcus walks every property himself before quoting anything. The slope, the soil, and what is already back there change the real number more than anything estimated over the phone. You get a walk-through of what is possible for the space, a real range for the scope you are picturing, and a plain answer on permitting and, where it applies, your HOA design-review process, before you commit to anything.
- A walk of the property with Marcus, not a sales rep
- A real range for the scope you are picturing, not a single guessed number
- A plain answer on permitting and HOA design review for your specific community
How a project actually runs:
the same person walks it, three times.
Marcus spent years as a project manager on commercial landscaping crews, building hospitals and office parks whose owners rarely looked at the finished work once it shipped. He started Larkspur to build for people who would actually use the space every day, and the habit that carries that through every real job is a literal one, not a slogan: he shows up in person, three times, start to finish.
01
Before you sign anything
“I don't give a real number until I've walked the property myself, because the site itself, the slope, the soil, what's already back there, changes the number more than anything I could guess over the phone.”
The property walk
Marcus walks every property in person before quoting, not a sales rep and not a phone estimate. A full backyard typically runs $80,000 to $150,000; a pergola and outdoor kitchen alone, $30,000 to $50,000. The real number depends on your actual yard, not an average one.
02
Before the crew breaks ground
“I won't hand a job to a crew I haven't personally walked the plan with first.”
Walking the plan with the crew
The same person who designed your project walks the finished plan with the crew that will actually build it, permit and any HOA approval already in hand, before a shovel goes in the ground.
03
Before the job is called done
“I was building for people who never actually looked at the finished work once it was done. I wanted to build something for someone who'd actually use it every day.”
The final walkthrough
The same Marcus who walked your property on day one, and walked the plan with the crew before it started, walks the finished yard with you at handoff, punch list in hand. It's the opposite of the work he built for years before starting Larkspur.
One person, present for all three. That is not a slogan here, it is a scheduling fact: the same Marcus who walks your property on day one is the same Marcus standing in it with you on the last day too.
Proof
What you can expect, project after project
Larkspur's project gallery is not live on this site yet. Eight years of real project photography exists and is being organized for it. Most work arrives by referral, one finished yard sells the next, so here is exactly how a project runs, and what Marcus will not compromise on. The photo on this page is a licensed stock image showing the kind of space Larkspur builds, not a completed Larkspur project.
Drainage never gets shortcut
On one full backyard project, Marcus caught grading from the original build pushing water straight toward the house foundation, before it ever became a problem. He stopped the pour, brought in a fix, and told the client exactly why the schedule moved a few days. A badly graded yard turns into a real, expensive problem two years later; it costs far less to fix before the pour than after.
You hear from him even when there's nothing to report
One project inside a gated community sat with the design-review board for almost six weeks past what was quoted. Marcus called every week anyway, with the real status, even when the update was "still nothing yet." Silence is what actually makes people nervous, not a slow board.
A real range, not a lowball number
Some contractors quote low, then make it back on change orders once you're committed. Prices here are quoted as a real range on the first call: $80,000 to $150,000 for a full backyard, $30,000 to $50,000 for a pergola and outdoor kitchen alone, even when the real number makes someone flinch a little upfront.
No date promised before the permit is in hand
Marcus will not hand over a finish date before the permit, and any HOA approval, are actually signed. A quoted range gets confirmed once that step clears, not guessed at upfront.
Scope stays honest, in both directions
A pergola-and-kitchen job with no HOA and no major grading went from contract to walkthrough in about a month. A request for a single paver walkway, outside what Larkspur actually does, was turned down and pointed toward a specialist instead. The scope moves at the pace the site and the paperwork actually allow, not a fixed sales pitch.
Risk, removed
What you can count on
One point of contact, in person, three times
Marcus walks your property before quoting, walks the finished plan with his own crew before it starts, and walks the finished yard with you at handoff. Same person, all three, not a rotating rep.
Permits and HOA approval handled directly
Every project gets permitted before construction starts, and any HOA design-review submission is Marcus’s responsibility, not yours to chase.
A real update every week, even when there's nothing new
During a slow HOA review or a permit delay, you get a call every week with the honest status, even when the update is "still nothing yet." Silence is what actually makes people nervous, not a slow board.
No corner cut on drainage or grading
Grading gets done right even when it adds a few days, because a badly graded yard costs far more to fix later than it does to do correctly the first time.
A real range on day one, not a lowball number
Some contractors quote low, then make it back on change orders once you are committed. You get an honest range up front, from $30,000 to $50,000 for a pergola and outdoor kitchen to $80,000 to $150,000 for a full backyard, even when it makes someone flinch a little at first.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much does a full backyard project cost?
Most full backyard transformations, pool, hardscape, and structures together, land between $80,000 and $150,000. A pergola and outdoor kitchen alone typically runs $30,000 to $50,000. The real number depends on the site itself, the slope, the soil, and what is already back there, which is why Marcus walks every property before quoting.
How long does a project actually take?
It depends on permitting and, where it applies, your HOA design-review process, which can run longer than the city permit itself in some Scottsdale-area communities. Marcus will not promise a finish date before the permit and any HOA approval are actually in hand, and gives you a real range once that step clears.
Do I need HOA approval for this kind of project?
If your property sits inside a design-review community, most likely yes. Marcus has worked inside these communities before and manages that submission directly, so it never falls on you to chase.
What happens if you run into something unexpected once the work starts?
You get a call the same day, with the real reason for the change and what it means for the timeline, not a surprise on the invoice. That has included stopping a pour mid-project to fix bad grading from a prior build rather than build over it.
Why is it always you, and not a sales rep or project manager?
Because that is the whole reason Larkspur exists. Marcus spent years managing commercial landscaping projects for people who rarely looked at the finished work once it was done. He walks every property himself before quoting, walks the plan with his own crew before it starts, and does the final walkthrough at handoff. Same person, every time, not a rotating cast.
Ready to see what your own yard could actually look like?
Marcus walks every property himself and gives you a real range before anything is signed. Serving Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and north Phoenix.